What it’s really like to drive an EV

By: Esther

There’s so much buzz around electric vehicles (EVs), and for good reason: more than half of US car sales are expected to be electric by 2030. Though, I might also pay more attention to the industry than the average person, since Cutline works with ChargePoint, one of the leading EV charging networks! We’re proud to work with a company that is at the forefront of this massive transition in transportation and to partner with them to help dispel some of the myths and questions surrounding driving an EV through our media campaigns. And, it’s been extremely fun to get to experience an EV as a new owner myself. 

A few months ago, my husband and I decided to take a full leap into electric vehicle ownership and purchase a used Tesla Model 3. We’d been on the hunt for a new car to replace our 12+-year-old sedan and knew we wanted to drive electric for our next vehicle. First and foremost (because of environmental concerns), it’s hard not to be worried about all the dire warnings from climate scientists. We also live in a small town and don’t have a long commute. Even if we drove a plug-in hybrid, we’d be able to drive fully electric around town without needing to recharge often — or refill with gas, for that matter! 

We found a good deal on the Tesla and quickly fell in love with our new way of getting around. Here are a few of the biggest takeaways we’ve learned since then.  

Charging overnight

My husband’s work commute is about 5 miles each way, and we don’t drive very far on weekends since our town is pretty small. To charge our vehicle, we simply use the outlet in our garage, and we keep it plugged in overnight. We’ll likely upgrade to a wall charger in the near future so that the car can charge a bit faster, but we haven’t run into any issues with this slower level of charging so far. As ChargePoint always says, charging should be done while you do something else — in our case, sleep. 

Taking it on the road

So far, we’ve taken one road trip in the electric car, which was about 175 miles each way. The Tesla Model 3 version we have has ​​about 333 miles of estimated range. We made it to the hotel with plenty of battery power left, and took advantage of overnight charging with valet service to top off. On the drive home, we stopped at a fast charging station and were able to get a near-full charge in about 25 minutes. My husband surfed his phone, our kids continued watching a movie, and I stocked up on some snacks in Target. ChargePoint often talks about the 30-minute retail economy that will be developed around charging stations, and it makes complete sense. While some people might choose to hang in their car, imagine being able to run some quick errands or even get a massage while you wait for it to charge.

An incredible connected experience

One of the coolest things about the Tesla is that you can control the entire car from your phone. The Tesla app enables you to control the climate inside (a very handy feature in the winter), monitor charging status and battery levels, schedule off-peak charging to reduce energy costs, and more. And with Bluetooth, the app enables you to automatically open the door and lock the car when you exit, just by having your phone nearby — no keys required. You can also schedule service appointments through the app, and upload photos/videos of the issue to message with the technicians. It’s incredibly seamless and a game changer for making life just a little bit easier.

Purchasing a new car is a big investment and one we didn’t take lightly. I can honestly say that I never would go back to a gas-powered car if I had the choice. EVs are the future, and I can’t wait to see more people experience the joy of driving fully electric.